Living Legends
Part Ten
Duo awoke slowly from his charmed stated. He found himself lying on his bed, the clock beside it told him it was still late at night. He looked at his wrist and, in the light spilling in from the hall through the still open door, saw the fading image of three feathers, rich red, gold and blue, bound together at the base with a long, trailing, leather cord. He sat up and noticed a dark form shift in a darken corner.
Heero moved forward silently and sat on the edge of Duo's bed. He gently picked up Duo's wrist and examined it. He nodded his satisfaction as the image faded from sight.
"Mind telling me what you did to me?" Duo demanded. "And why didn't you warn me that you were going to do it?"
"Hn. That mark will allow you to come to the palace, actually enter, whenever you want. You no longer live there and otherwise could not pass the barrier on your own."
"Great! But why didn't warn me?"
"By surprising you, I hoped to take your attention away from the pain."
"That was considerate of you, Heero," Duo told him. With a goofy grin, Duo hugged Heero. "I didn't know you cared!"
More than you know, Duo, Heero thought as he expressionlessly pushed Duo off. "Don't hesitate to come if you're in trouble. A few years does not prepare you for the supernatural. Sayonara Duo."
"Goin' so soon?" Duo asked, hiding his disappointment. When Heero didn't say anything he continued. "Bye, Heero." Duo watched as Heero left and lay back on the bed. I don't know how I ever complained that it was too bright in the Phoenix's Realm at night...
When you have the backing of one of the richest men in the Colonies, Duo discovered, rebuilding one's life from the ashes goes rather smoothly. Knowing it eased Quatre's unreasonable guilt over not being able to help when he was in trouble, and that it would allow him to see his friends more often, Duo accepted a mechanic's position within the Winner Cooperation on L4. All he owned were the clothes Heero had given him. When he had been captured the vampires had sought out people such as his boss and landlord and influenced them to dismiss the fact he had ever existed. As a result, his landlord had thrown out all his belongings.
Being a former street rat from L2, Duo coped well with the loss of his belongings. The only objects he lost that had any true sentimental value had been his pictures of his friends. Quatre picked up on this and had copies of his and Trowa's made for Duo and even went so far as to have a replica of Duo's thermal scythe made. Duo hadn't kept much from the war, but his scythe, Quatre knew, had been one of the few items.
Duo woke at the crack of dawn and looked out his apartment window at the city around him, with it's slowly brightening artificial light. After a moment he flopped back on the bed and groaned. It's been almost two months and I still expect to wake up to the Dawn Blessing and Heero's visit to my window. God, I miss him. Duo dragged himself out of bed and sought out his breakfast. I've got my first free weekend starting tomorrow. I could go visit him. Maybe I can convince him to come back to the Human Realm for a shopping trip. Duo brightened at the thought. Yeah. That's what I'll do. I'll finally see Heero again tomorrow and maybe we can do something in this realm. I might even be able to convince him to stay for the entire weekend.
"Hey, Duo!"
Duo looked up to see a fellow mechanic, Will Miller, waving for him to come over.
"What's up?" Duo asked as he approached.
"Someone's up in the office askin' for ya."
"Thanks man," Duo replied and headed for the office, curious. When he arrived, he found a young woman with short black hair waiting for him.
"Duo!"
"Hilde? Hey! How are you doing? It's been ages!"
"Ages, indeed! It's been four years! You just up and moved without forwarding an address! Where have you been? I had a small finder program set up to locate you, but it shouldn't have taken four years to do it."
"All that trouble over me?" Duo asked, though he knew finder programs took very little effort to use and were basically independent after being programmed.
"Where were you? I thought we were friends."
"At one point I got to see Heero again and I learned something while I was at his place that forced me to move in for a while. You know Heero, he likes his privacy. I couldn't just give people his number or address, not even friends, Hild. Other wise I would have," Duo told her. It isn't exactly a lie, it's just missing some details, Duo told himself.
Hilde excepted the vague explanation, for the moment. Duo could tell this wasn't the end of it. "You're something else, Duo," she shook her head then smiled. "How about we do something this weekend?"
"Gee, Hild, I was already thinking of -"
"Please? I won't be on L4 forever."
Duo sighed inwardly. "You win, Hild. I can put off what I was going to do."
"Great! I know where you live, so I'll come over tomorrow morning! Bye!" Hilde left, oblivious to the strange look she was getting from a blond woman behind the office computer.
"She seems to be a nice woman," the blond stated. "Even if she doesn't realize there's something you'd rather do this weekend."
"Huh?" Duo asked. "What's that Sara?"
"It's obvious you already had something planned. She must be a really good friend for you to give in like that, Duo. I've seen you charm your way out of more difficult situations than that."
Duo sighed audibly. "Yea, well, it has been a few years. It wasn't my fault, it couldn't be helped, but years are years." Duo put on a maniacal grin for his co-worker. "Even someone as shameless as me can feel guilty at times."
Hilde stepped up to Duo's apartment door at ten the next morning and prepared herself for the ordeal of getting Duo out of bed. She and Duo had once seen each other on a regular basis and she had learned that Duo liked to sleep in and almost wouldn't get out of bed for anything when he didn't need to and was comfortable.
Hilde almost hadn't knocked before the door opened. "Hild! Where ya been?" Duo asked brightly.
"I didn't expect you to be up already. I've rarely seen you up before noon on a day off - and that was my own doing," Hilde said, surprised.
"Yeah, well, a lot can happen over a few years to change your habits."
"Why don't you tell me what you've been doing the past four years while we're on our way to the festival?"
"Festival?" Duo asked, ignoring Hilde's inquiry into the past.
"Duo Maxwell, I never thought I'd see the day you weren't aware of every fun activity going on around you! An annual festival is being held on the far side of the city. Let's go."
Duo spent the day bombarded by loud music, large crowds, thousands of voices and Hilde's direct and indirect questions about the years during which they had been out of contact. For the most part, Duo enjoyed himself. Duo enjoyed music, loud or quiet, of just about any style; enjoyed seeing people out and about, enjoying themselves, as they could not during the war. Unfortunately, his enjoyment was hampered by Hilde's questions. Once Hilde got an idea into her head she didn't let go. It had almost cost Hilde her life during the war, but the trait resulted in the liberation of important information from the enemy near the end of the war.
Their day came to a close in the evening. Duo bid goodbye to Hilde, after she wrung a promise out of him to spend more time with her next weekend. Duo climbed the stairs of his apartment building wondering if he should visit Heero that night and simply crash there. By the time he got to his apartment, he decided he had imposed on Heero enough and would visit him in the morning.
Part Ten
Duo awoke slowly from his charmed stated. He found himself lying on his bed, the clock beside it told him it was still late at night. He looked at his wrist and, in the light spilling in from the hall through the still open door, saw the fading image of three feathers, rich red, gold and blue, bound together at the base with a long, trailing, leather cord. He sat up and noticed a dark form shift in a darken corner.
Heero moved forward silently and sat on the edge of Duo's bed. He gently picked up Duo's wrist and examined it. He nodded his satisfaction as the image faded from sight.
"Mind telling me what you did to me?" Duo demanded. "And why didn't you warn me that you were going to do it?"
"Hn. That mark will allow you to come to the palace, actually enter, whenever you want. You no longer live there and otherwise could not pass the barrier on your own."
"Great! But why didn't warn me?"
"By surprising you, I hoped to take your attention away from the pain."
"That was considerate of you, Heero," Duo told him. With a goofy grin, Duo hugged Heero. "I didn't know you cared!"
More than you know, Duo, Heero thought as he expressionlessly pushed Duo off. "Don't hesitate to come if you're in trouble. A few years does not prepare you for the supernatural. Sayonara Duo."
"Goin' so soon?" Duo asked, hiding his disappointment. When Heero didn't say anything he continued. "Bye, Heero." Duo watched as Heero left and lay back on the bed. I don't know how I ever complained that it was too bright in the Phoenix's Realm at night...
When you have the backing of one of the richest men in the Colonies, Duo discovered, rebuilding one's life from the ashes goes rather smoothly. Knowing it eased Quatre's unreasonable guilt over not being able to help when he was in trouble, and that it would allow him to see his friends more often, Duo accepted a mechanic's position within the Winner Cooperation on L4. All he owned were the clothes Heero had given him. When he had been captured the vampires had sought out people such as his boss and landlord and influenced them to dismiss the fact he had ever existed. As a result, his landlord had thrown out all his belongings.
Being a former street rat from L2, Duo coped well with the loss of his belongings. The only objects he lost that had any true sentimental value had been his pictures of his friends. Quatre picked up on this and had copies of his and Trowa's made for Duo and even went so far as to have a replica of Duo's thermal scythe made. Duo hadn't kept much from the war, but his scythe, Quatre knew, had been one of the few items.
Duo woke at the crack of dawn and looked out his apartment window at the city around him, with it's slowly brightening artificial light. After a moment he flopped back on the bed and groaned. It's been almost two months and I still expect to wake up to the Dawn Blessing and Heero's visit to my window. God, I miss him. Duo dragged himself out of bed and sought out his breakfast. I've got my first free weekend starting tomorrow. I could go visit him. Maybe I can convince him to come back to the Human Realm for a shopping trip. Duo brightened at the thought. Yeah. That's what I'll do. I'll finally see Heero again tomorrow and maybe we can do something in this realm. I might even be able to convince him to stay for the entire weekend.
"Hey, Duo!"
Duo looked up to see a fellow mechanic, Will Miller, waving for him to come over.
"What's up?" Duo asked as he approached.
"Someone's up in the office askin' for ya."
"Thanks man," Duo replied and headed for the office, curious. When he arrived, he found a young woman with short black hair waiting for him.
"Duo!"
"Hilde? Hey! How are you doing? It's been ages!"
"Ages, indeed! It's been four years! You just up and moved without forwarding an address! Where have you been? I had a small finder program set up to locate you, but it shouldn't have taken four years to do it."
"All that trouble over me?" Duo asked, though he knew finder programs took very little effort to use and were basically independent after being programmed.
"Where were you? I thought we were friends."
"At one point I got to see Heero again and I learned something while I was at his place that forced me to move in for a while. You know Heero, he likes his privacy. I couldn't just give people his number or address, not even friends, Hild. Other wise I would have," Duo told her. It isn't exactly a lie, it's just missing some details, Duo told himself.
Hilde excepted the vague explanation, for the moment. Duo could tell this wasn't the end of it. "You're something else, Duo," she shook her head then smiled. "How about we do something this weekend?"
"Gee, Hild, I was already thinking of -"
"Please? I won't be on L4 forever."
Duo sighed inwardly. "You win, Hild. I can put off what I was going to do."
"Great! I know where you live, so I'll come over tomorrow morning! Bye!" Hilde left, oblivious to the strange look she was getting from a blond woman behind the office computer.
"She seems to be a nice woman," the blond stated. "Even if she doesn't realize there's something you'd rather do this weekend."
"Huh?" Duo asked. "What's that Sara?"
"It's obvious you already had something planned. She must be a really good friend for you to give in like that, Duo. I've seen you charm your way out of more difficult situations than that."
Duo sighed audibly. "Yea, well, it has been a few years. It wasn't my fault, it couldn't be helped, but years are years." Duo put on a maniacal grin for his co-worker. "Even someone as shameless as me can feel guilty at times."
Hilde stepped up to Duo's apartment door at ten the next morning and prepared herself for the ordeal of getting Duo out of bed. She and Duo had once seen each other on a regular basis and she had learned that Duo liked to sleep in and almost wouldn't get out of bed for anything when he didn't need to and was comfortable.
Hilde almost hadn't knocked before the door opened. "Hild! Where ya been?" Duo asked brightly.
"I didn't expect you to be up already. I've rarely seen you up before noon on a day off - and that was my own doing," Hilde said, surprised.
"Yeah, well, a lot can happen over a few years to change your habits."
"Why don't you tell me what you've been doing the past four years while we're on our way to the festival?"
"Festival?" Duo asked, ignoring Hilde's inquiry into the past.
"Duo Maxwell, I never thought I'd see the day you weren't aware of every fun activity going on around you! An annual festival is being held on the far side of the city. Let's go."
Duo spent the day bombarded by loud music, large crowds, thousands of voices and Hilde's direct and indirect questions about the years during which they had been out of contact. For the most part, Duo enjoyed himself. Duo enjoyed music, loud or quiet, of just about any style; enjoyed seeing people out and about, enjoying themselves, as they could not during the war. Unfortunately, his enjoyment was hampered by Hilde's questions. Once Hilde got an idea into her head she didn't let go. It had almost cost Hilde her life during the war, but the trait resulted in the liberation of important information from the enemy near the end of the war.
Their day came to a close in the evening. Duo bid goodbye to Hilde, after she wrung a promise out of him to spend more time with her next weekend. Duo climbed the stairs of his apartment building wondering if he should visit Heero that night and simply crash there. By the time he got to his apartment, he decided he had imposed on Heero enough and would visit him in the morning.
